Garment buttoning post



Feb. 28p 1950 E. suHAJDA 2,498,866

GARMENT BUTTONING POST Filed DeG. 22, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb, 28I 1950 E. suHAJDA 498,366

GARMENT BUTTONING POST Filed Dec. 22, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT UFFICE Emil Suhajda, Chicago, Ill., assgnor 'to Gn "EL Bishop CompanyJ 'QhcagofIlLy'a eorporationfof Illinois Appiicatmnnember 22, 19.45,.,seriaine4e3asa'6 (o1. waas) 8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a garment buttoning post for .use in laundries particularly, Where convenience and expedition of properly .buttoning and inspecting garments, such as shirts, for instance, is an .important consideration lin ;the handling of .the product.

-In the `usual laundry, .the buttoning takes ,place between the ironing vand .folding steps., the `garments being placedin piles after ironing and then before being taken to the folder an .operator sees to .buttoning the same. This is usually done without removal of the garment from the .pile and, owing to the .inconvenience of accomplishingsame under thevconditons, only .the .collar button .and one .or .two others .down the front of the .garment .may be buttoned and .any inspection of the garment is .aptto be more or less 'perfunctorv v .It is an .object of thisinvention to provide a garment .buttoningpost .so `that vthe garmentmay be ..taken.from the .pile and applied thereto ina simple, convenient vand .expeditious manner, .so .that the .garment may be .suspended therefrom for buttoning .at ease and all buttons, Vif desired, be buttoned, so .that .the garment .may b ereadily .revolved 'for .complete inspection .and `so 'that .when through .buttoning and .inspectionthe garment'maybe freed yfrom its Isupport without any substantial effort, without mechanical manipulations `of .the support and withoutany .disturbance .or damage .to .the upper .collar buttonor lto ,the vcollar or shirt or garment otherwise, the post automatically, .instantly and without attentionof the .operator yplacing .itself in condition .to receive .the .next garment. The :garment ,is then ready for the folder or folding step.

In .carrying out .the .invention and Athe `various objects thereof, asupporting post .in :the for-meuf a portable .standard which may .have aside T tbracket attached .for the temporary support .of

garments -to 4be buttoned, .a .wall bracket, eX- tension .rod from ceiling -or .otherwise .and .preferably forming an overhead rigid support for the hanger is provided with hanger 4which-may be collapsible and vertically swiveled .onthe support .andadjustably `.disposed at a convenient height v.fortheworker Aand .the Work .in hand. The-garment may .be Areadily placed on the lhangerin v.convenient lposition .for buttoning -at ease, rotat- :ing .the same for inspection, .andpulling the Agarn `ment-down oli the .hanger without any .appre- :ciable ...effort and Without the necessityon the .part `Vof .the .operator .of y.going .throughany mechanical manipulations .of .thedeviee Further ...carrying out the ,inventionand .its .-.ob- 4 jects, fthehanger is provided 'with a central body portion, 'Whichmayfbe termed a neck'block, ,and opposed side arms .projectingf'therefrom on which `the shoulder sections .of the garment 'may rest in the process voi buttoning and 'inspection These side arms of the hanger are madenollapsv'i'ble when it desired to remove the garment from the hanger, and preferably without the necessity "on the part of fthe operator offmechanica'lly manipulating 'these-me or even touching'it.

A further feature and object .is that the :garment "may vbe removed from the hanger *by a simple "slight pull thereon reguiring no appreciable eTort `on the part o'f the `operator and `without mussing or rumpling ofthe garment or damage .to 'thecollar, collar buttonyor otherwise.

Still "further 'features and ,objects are that 'the .side arms, which, while sufficiently strongintheir normalgposition'to sustain the garmentsuitaloly Afor `buttoningand `revolving for inspection, may

mal ,garment-'suspending :D Ositi'on tofiree theggar- .ment 'therefrom when desired.

Furtherfeatures, objects and advantages severally `are the provision of a hanger "for the step described, in which the side .arms are collapsible ydownwardly -by-a slight null lon'tl'xe garment and are spring-returned "to lnormal Ysustaining position when rfreed `from .the garment; in which smooth stiff arms are spring-held vin norrrral out- Ward ,garment-suspending position, are `readily collapsed downwardlyby 'a s'ligliifypull on "the garment, `and are spring-,returned tomorma'l position when 'freed of VAthegarment; in 4which rstiff 'garment-sustaining arms .are .connected Nto -the :neck block iin whole lor .in part by coiled vsprings ten- .sioned to hold the `arms'in outstretched garment- .suspending position .to `sustain 'fthe rgarment while .neck 'blocljis .provided with Va noiled spring-ex-l ;tending;.across.ithersame, ,Withside arms lattached `to :the'gends of the .spring and :tensioned Atol j'hold the arms outwardly in garment-sustaining position to hold the garment for buttoning and inspection and collapsible to free the garment by a slight downward pull thereon and then to raise the arms tc normal position when freed of the garment, and in which, in another form, the arms are pivoted or hinged to a preferably hollow neck block and are spring retained in their outward garment suspending positions by springs preferably within the block so that the garment maybe freed from the arms by a slight pull thereon, the springs serving to return the arms to normal position when freed of the garment.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the detailed description and claims to follow, in connection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates, by way of example and not of limitation, two embodiments of the invention,V and in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation of a garment buttoning post of the portable floor type and indicating in dotted lines a garment suspended from the hanger of the post, the hanger being of the collapsible form shown in detail in other figures of the drawing;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the said hanger on a larger scale, parts being shown in section;

Fig. 3 shows the post in the form of a ceiling rod extension supporting the hanger at its lower end, or, as shown in dotted lines, a side wall bracket may be used;

, Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the hanger;

Fig. 5 is a central cross-section through the neck block of the hanger, substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of another form of 'the hanger, the neck block in the form of a hollow inverted cup being shown in section;

Fig. '7 is a bottom plan View of the same; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are, respectively, side and bottom plan views of an improved swivel.

. In these drawings, and referring first to Figs. l to 5, the garment buttoning post in Fig. 1 is shown in the form of a portable standard I0,

preferably of suitable telescoping pipe, as indicated at II, to vary the height of the post to accommodate the worker or for other reasons, a relatively heavy base I2, as of metal, being provided to rest on the floor and servingto sustain the post in upright stationary position as against lall normal, lateral and other stresses apt to be imposed thereon during use and regardless of whether it is ln vertical alignment with the garment above or not.

The upper end of the standard is curved over, as at I3, to support the hanger, generally designated by numeral I4, from overhead.

This support of the hanger from the'top or overhead facilitates the ready removal of the garment, which is buttoned together on the hanger and removed therefrom in a downward direction. A support of the hanger from below would ob viously interfere with such removal.

The supporting post in its overhanging or over* head supporting function of the hanger may takel the form of a ceiling rod or pipe I5 as shown in Fig. 3, suitably attached to the ceiling of the room and preferably also extensible by telescoping sections, as indicated at I6, or otherwise, suitably to adjust the height of the hanger I4 from the floor. Or it may take the form of a side wall bracket to be suitably attached to a vertical wall or surface of the room, as indicatedin dotted f lines at I'I in said Fig. 3, this also being preferably adjustable by telescopic sections as indicated at i ov I8, or otherwise, properly to locate the hanger I4 for most convenient use by the operator and in the room.

The hanger I4 includes a neck block I9, in this instance of wood or any suitable material, which may be bell-shaped in side view as seen in Fig. 2, that is, narrower at the top portion 22, sloping edges 2| and flaring at the bottom as at 22 and with a substantially vertical lower edge rim portion 23. This block I9 may be of substantial thickness as shown in Fig. 5, with fiat vertical sides or faces as shown, and all corners are preferably rounded off substantially as shown except at the bottom. The neck of the garment, collar, collar :band and associated material engage this neck-block and contact therewith more or less in the application of the garment thereto and in the manipulation and removal thereof, and accordingly, the exterior surface of the block is made smooth and without sharp corners or projections to avoid any damage to the material and to facilitate suitably placing the garment thereon, manipulating it while buttoning or otherwise. and eventually in slipping the garment ofi the block and removing it. as hereinafter described.

This block may be of any desired color, of course, but it has been found that black is satisfactory for laundry purposes, harmonizes with the hanger arms to be described later, and, if the block be made of wood, the same may be readily stained, painted or enameled to provide an extremely smooth surface.

The standard I0 may have a side. bracket 24 suitably attached thereto, preferably having a T head, as indicated, on which one or more ironed garments may be hung temporarily awaiting removal to the hanger for buttoning. In case of the suspension of the hanger from the wall or ceiling, such bracket and head 24 may be on an individual portable stand or other support.

The neck-block I9 is suspended from the supporting post above preferably by a swivel connection to facilitate the placing of the garment thereon, facing it to the operator or turning it to the most convenient angle or position for buttoning and to enable the garment after buttoning or at other times to be revolved or swung about on a vertical axis for all-around inspection of the garment.

This swiveling connection may be readily accomplished in the present instance by a coupling sleeve 25 threading on the lower end 2B of the overhead post support, whether of the portable, ceiling or side-wall type, and having its inturned flange 21 rotatably engaging under the socketed circular head 23 of captive screw or bolt 29 secured to and projecting upwardly from the top of the neck block I9. If desired, the sleeve 25 may be a straight section, threaded internally throughout its length, and the flange 21 replaced by a threaded washer screwed into the lower end of the sleeve and revolubly supporting the head 28 of the bolt 29.

The bolt 29 may be readily secured to the neck block I9 by inserting it through an aperture in the top of the block which intersects a larger-diameter aperture 30 from the side, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, in the dead end of which a nut 3I has been placed, and threading the end of the bolt 29 into this nut 3I. The nut 32 on the bolt at the top of the block may then be tightened to draw up and embed the corners of the nut 3| in the material of the block and thus secure the bolt 29 firmly in the neck block.

The head 28 of the bolt 29 is suitably socketed against the inside wall of the end of block A nut 58 on the bolt 55 outside the block holds the'parts together securely and rigidly at this point. By this means, the arms 50 may be collapsed downwardly to free the garment and automatically raised to normal positions by the springs when the garment is freed therefrom.

The head block 5I, which thus `provides room within its outer confines for the operating mechanisrn of the arms so that a smooth exterior may be presented to the garments and the latter be not interfered with thereby in the use of the device, is preferably in the form of an inverted cup with slightly sloping sides and a somewhat rounded bottom or upper'end through which the bolt 5:25 passes. This cup or neck-block 5| may be of suitable sheet metal spun or pressed into the desired form, or of other suitable material or otherwise formed. It thus provides room inside for the springs and arm mechanism, and a closed outwardly smooth cover therefor, which as seen in Fig. '7 may be circular in cross section.

The arms 5G are preferablyy mounted at their inner ends on a pin or shaft 50 extending diametrically across the open lower end of the cup or head block 5I and having rotatable sleeve members 6I end to end on said shaft 50 inside the'said end of the head block and extending substantially thereacross. The shaft or pin 60 may be'riveted at its outer ends as indicated or otherwise secured in the block. The arms 50 may have at their inner ends flattened portions and lateral wings 52 which are soldered, welded or brazed to the under sides respectively of the sleeves 6I, so that the latter become rigid parts of the wings and form the parts of the arms rotating on the shaft 60. They thus provide strong long sleeve bearingsv for the arms and keep them in proper operating positions. Any other suitable construction may be employed but this is a practical and economical method.

The arms 5i) may be of any suitable material or form but in this instance are indicated as of smooth sheet metal slightly curved in cross section as shown, which provides a suitable outward contour for the garment to rest on, permits it readily to be applied thereto or to be drawn off the same, and gives longitudinal strength to the arms. In their normal positions the arms 5U engage the lower edge or the hollow block 5I which acts as a stop to hold the arms extended in the desired positions against the upward pull of the springs 52.

The springs 52 are tensioned to hold the arms in outward position for all normal use of the device but to `permit them to be drawn down and collapsed to free the buttoned garment without harm thereto by a slight pull on the garment, after which the springs return the arms to normal position ready for the next garment. The garment may be revolved for inspection through the swiveled connection 25.

In operation, with the post of either form conveniently at hand and of a height and location suitable for the operator, the ironed and unbuttoned garments are opened and readily hung on the hanger in the natural manner; have been hung on the T-head rack or bracket 2li previously they may be conveniently taken therefrom to hang on the hanger of the post. The collar button and other buttons may then be buttoned, the collar ofthe garment tting more or less loosely about the neck-block.v The garment then may be revolved due to the swivel connection and inspected at the back as well as If they v 8 front. When through with this, a slight pull on the garment collapses the hanger and frees the garment as described. The neck-block is small enough to pass through the buttoned collar at this time and the garment is received in perfect condition for folding, the next step in the operation.

The neck-block I9 of Figs. l to 5 may, if desired, be formed of the same outward shape as the block 5l of Figs. 6 and 7, and the lateral hole 30 be closed at the outer end by a suitable plug to present a smooth, even outer surface of the block at this point. l

Figs. 8 and 9 show an improved swivel which is the same generally as that heretofore described, involves thev same elements and may be connected to the support and to the head block in the same way, with this diierence, that the threaded coupling sleeve lli, corresponding to the sleeve 25 in the other views, is provided with a dependingl lip 1|, which may be formed by beveling off inv any desired way the lower end face of the sleeve 70, as indicated at 12, Fig. 8. The nut 13, corresponding to nuts 32 and 5&3 in the other forms, is preferably square or four-sided, and the bolt 'I4 is shorter so as to bring the nut 13 up closer to the end of the swivel sleeve. As indicated, the nut is far enough below the swivel 'Hl to permit the hanger to swivel freely when hanging down in the normal position, but when the hanger is tipped slightly, as indicated Vby the dotted-line position, the side of the nut engages the lip 'il on the swivel and the hanger is prevented irom turning. 1

A set screw 15 in the sleeve le enables the sleeve to be positioned with the lip 1l to the front, that is, facing the operator, vand the nut 13 is correspondingly located with its lip-engaging side parallel with the hanger arms.

This construction enables the operator to arrange the garment more satisfactorily and quickly on the hanger for buttoning. In so positioning the garment the operator is apt naturally to pull more or less on one Side and then on the other of thel garment, and if the hanger swivels at this time the operation may be prolonged. But with this construction the slight natural pull on the sides of the garment toward the operator in putting it on the hanger tips the hanger forwardly so that the nut'engages the lip and the hanger is prevented from rotating and the garment may be variously shifted thereon into the desired positionwithout loss of time or annoyance. Then when the garment and hanger are released and hangdown naturally, the same may be rotated freely for the buttoning and '1nspection of the garment.

Further description of the operation of the buttoning post is deemed unnecessary in-view of what has been said. While the buttoning of garments has been done in a more for less incomplete'way in laundries and inspections incidentally `made, by the use of this invention the buttoning becomes a distinct step in the operation and can be completely done and inspection of the garments thoroughly made.

Having thus disclosed the invention, What is claimed and desired to `be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A garment button'ing post for use in laundering garments comprising an overhead support, a hanger swivelingly supported thereon for suspending a garment in convenient buttom'ng position and rev'oluble for inspection of the garment 'while vso suspended, said hanger including a bell- 'shaped neck block', side arms extending laterally from the lower part thereof, said block having a groove in the bottom thereof, and a coiled spring secured in said groove with its projecting ends secured to the inner ends oi said arms respectively and forming spring rotative connections of said arms with said block, said spring being tensioned normally to hold the arms outwardly in garment supporting position for buttoning and inspecting same land yieldable to a slight downward pull on the garment to release the same, whereby the garment may be pulled off the hanger without damage to the collar or other buttons or to the garment and when the garment is so removed the arms automatically return to normal position.

2. A garment buttoning post -comprising a support, a hanger including a neck block secured to the support, side arms hinged to said neck block, said neck block being in the form of an inverted cup, side `arms hinged in the lower open end of the cup, coil springs within the cup secured to said arms and to the upper part of the cup to tend to raise the same, the lower rim of the cup iorming a stop for the arms to hold them normal ly outward in garment receiving position, said arms swinging downwardly Iagainst the tension of the springs by a pull on the garment to free the same therefrom and being returned to normal by the springs.

3. A garment buttoning post comprising an overhead support, a hanger having arms for supporting a garment, a normally free swiveling connection between said hanger and support, and means operated by tipping the hlanger axially in one direction on the said support for preventing the swiveling when the hanger is so tipped.

4. A garment buttoning post comprising an overhead support, a hanger having arms for supporting a garment, a swiveled connection between the hanger and support permitting the free swiveling of the hanger when in normal suspending position, and a lock for the swivel to prevent rotation of the hanger operated by and when the hanger is tipped forwardly out of normal position.

5. A garment buttoning post comprising an overhead support, a hanger having arms for supporting a garment, a swiveling connection between the hanger and support to suspend and support the hanger from the support and permit the free rotation of the hanger when suspended normally, and locking projections on the connection .and hanger brought into engagement by tipping the hanger forwardly to prevent rotation of the hanger when so tipped.

6. A garment buttoning post comprising an overhead support, a hanger having arms for supporting a garment, aa swivel supporting and suspending connection between the support and hanger including la coupling sleeve attached to the support, a headed pin swiveled in the sleeve and secured to the hanger, a projection on the lower end of the sleeve, and a nut on the pin and secured to the hanger, said projection and nut being out of engagement when the hanger is suspended normally but brought into engagement when the hanger is tipped toward the projection,

10 whereby the hanger may be freely rotated when in normal position and may be locked against rotation when tipped toward the said projection.

7. In a device of the class described, a substantially rigid neck block about which the neck or collar portion of a garment is supported for buttoning, a pair of iarms adapted to be resilient- 1y held in extended position from the sides of said rigid neck block to hold the shoulders of the garment extended from the collar portion, spring means at the bottom of said neck block connecting to the inner ends of said arms, and mounting means for said spring means providing for pivotal mountings for said arms within the crosswise dimension of said neck block whereby a slight downward pull on the supported garment will collapse said arms downwardly to permit the buttoned collar portion of the garment to drop free of its support about said neck block.

8. In a device of the class described, e, substantially rigid neck block about which the neck or collar portion of a garment is supported for buttoning, a pair of arms adapted to be resiliently held in extended position from the sides of said rigid neck block to hold the shoulders of the garment extended from the collar portion, a coil spring lying across the bottom of said rigid neck block, and means for connecting the ends of said arms to said springs to provide for a resilient downward collapse of said arms when la slight downward pull is placed on the supported garment whereby the collar portion of the garment may drop free of said neck block.

EMJI SUI-IAJDA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

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